Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-08-15
THE WORLDS WASTE.
Fortunes Annually Thrown Away In Un-
cnnsileran Irin...

Fortunes Annually Thrown Away In Un-
considered Triacs.
l wish l had nickel for every dollar
wasted in this country. Yes, I'll reduce
/ that proposition to cent on the dollar.
and then retire rich in few years. l
don't mean wasted by the rich. but by
the poor and the moderately well off.
And when | say waste. | don't include
flowers, pictures or articles solely for the
eve. nor do | consider it waste for rich
man to have a suit for every day in the
wear, or 800 pairs of pantaloons. like that
estimable New York gentleman, Berry
Wall. l mean waste i'll every day. mat
ter of fact articles such us everybody
Uses.
Let us take pins. for starter. You
have doubtless been asked what becomes
Of the pins and didn't know. Nobody
knows, not even the English journal that
recently offered cash prize for a solu-
ton of the problem. They are lost, and
that's all you can say about it. But why
should they be lost: You don't lose your
diamond pin. although it's not much
larger than common brass one. 1t Is
evident that the pins could be taken care
of. and that they ought to be let figures
attest. There are $4,000, 900 people in
the United States, and am sure every
one on an average loses five cents worth
of pins per annum. That makes 81, 000,-
900 year gone nowhere. NY | per
cent. on that would give me- $50. 900 a
year: enough to ClOthe me. at any rate.
just think of So, GOO 900 year lost for
ever. as not one pin in 20, 1000, 900 is ever
found again.
But that Is only a beginning. Let us
take up cigars and pipes rs the next arti-
Gle on the catalogue of waste. Don't be
alarmed! | am not going to compute the
cost of smoking and call it waste, because
am a smoker and have scruples. am
going to Concedc that money invested il
tobacco is well invested and then open
your eyes TO another awful leak. Let us
approach the subject gradually, because
it is vast. There are 1000, 900 cigars
week smoked in this city and 100000
pipe loads of tobacco. Don't ask me how
know this Gata-you put Inc out. Az
erage cost of cigar to consumer, five
cents; total cost. $50, 900. Average cot
of pipe load. one cent; total cost. $50, 600.
Grand total, $4,000 week expended.
and of this amount one-tifth is wasted.
After long observation and careful c;,lcu-
lation l find that one fifth of each cigar
is thrown away unsinoked and the same
proportion Of each pipe load. This may
seem large. but am confident that it is
rather under the average. and it repre-
sents Il loss Of SI4 900 IA week, or SIPS
600 year. Remember. this in Philadel-
phia alone, and can safely multiply it
by fifty to include the rest of the country.
Grand total, $3G. G.400. 900. on whicSi my
percentage is 1864 900. / already have
a respectable income you perceive.
Now we come to liquors -vinous. malt
and spirituous-to he treated in the same
way. The average man leaves a portion
in his glass; not much, to be sure. for
times are hard. but at least twentihth
Another wasteful habit prevails of blow
ing the froth off beer. but will let that
pass. To figures again: Six thousand
saloons. at 100 drinks per saloon and av-
erige cost eight cents. equals $4,000 q
day. or S13,024 900 year. Five per
cent. waste equals S65l, 200 for Phiiadel-
yhia, So. $50. 900 for the whole country
1Hu So-J, ,bUO Tor me.
l am only in the suburbs of this sub
ject, ana already am appalled, at the
amount of territory that stretches before
me. l will have to bunch my hits 1t
is estimated by careful houstkeepers that
one-tenth Of each pot of coffee or tea is
not fit To drink. and what to do with the
slops no one knows. Jumping the Crusts
Of bread. ends Of steaks. dabs Of butter.
crumbs of cake and pie remnants. | am
within bounds when say that one tenth
of every meal goes to waste, and since
every body eats, even if they don't smoke
or drink, the aggregate must be enor-
nous. will not enter into figures. but
will content myself with taking $500, 900
year as my percentage.
have not finished. even if do quit
In the matter of buttons there must be a
large sum coming to me, and likewise in
tine item of matches. Very few persons
make a match do its full duty. Then
hook at the unnecessary amount of paper
that is used in making fires by women.
when old paper is worth cent a pound.
There are other things too numerous to
mention, and have not taken at all into
account the things that are thrown away
and return 10 their original elements. and
so III a measure are not wasted. l am
aware that the list is incomplete. and
feel sure you will be able to supplement
II from your experience. Philadelphia
Call.